Cooking for connection is the reason why I find so much joy in trying new recipes or cookbooks. Food is about sharing, and it’s in this sharing that we find each other. Which is why I was so excited to receive a copy of Amy Minichiello’s Recipes in the Mail: Family Cookbook and Journal. In mid-2018 Amy made a small request on her Instagram account: people were invited to share a favourite family recipe through the mail. It was a simple invitation to anyone who wanted to drop a letter in the post – a handwritten recipe with a story or memory attached. As the letters started to arrive at Amy’s home in Southeastern Australia, she was transported by the recipes as she learned the story of each. From there, Minichiello complied the recipes and stories into a book. In the opening of Recipes in the Mail – A letter to the Reader – she mentions the “magical cycle of creating moments” (11) and the endlessness of connections between people and food. A recipe shared between people creates a link only to be made stronger when shared again.
Recipes in the Mail is organized into 35 sections, each beginning with the story behind the recipe then the recipe. I really appreciate the way in which Minichiello also adds to the story by sharing how the food was enjoyed by her own family – from one kitchen to another, she indeed fosters a magical cycle of creating moments that transcend distance and time. With a lovely Preface written by Belinda Jeffery, our kitchens are primed for a book, as Jeffery says, “created with love and generosity.” (5)
Minichiello also gives home cooks a little guidance on weights and measures, equipment, food storage, and ingredients in the section, A few quick notes. The book also comes with pockets located on the insides of the front and back covers for Recipes and Notes – such a tremendously good idea! I know that most – if not all – of the cookbooks I regularly use have bits of paper filed between the pages. Notes and hand-drawn pictures from my daughter, recipes cut from magazines or ones printed from the internet all will find a snug home in one of these pockets. Minichiello gives us some lined, illustrated stationery to keep our recipe notes on or to write a recipe/letter to a friend too. Not to mention there is also space provided throughout the book where home cooks can jot down notes or even their own recipes!
One of my family’s favourite food days is Saturday, for on Saturday mornings we often have pancakes. Slathered with butter, dressed in maple syrup, we sit together to talk, eat, and listen to the countdown on the radio. So, when I received Recipes in the Mail, I immediately connected with the story about Catherine Redman — Sweet memories of pikelets — about pikelets made by her grandmother and served with a “beautiful, finely cut fruit salad.” The recipe Redman shared with Minichiello was one that her grandmother used then passed on to her mother, and one Redman continued to use when her children were younger. There’s a lovely photo of Minichiello and her daughter Vivvy making the recipe too. The pikelets were scrumptious! Smaller than a regular-sized pancake, they were light and puffy. I served them with sliced strawberries, syrup, and butter.
From one of Minichiello’s oldest friends from childhood, Jenny Chambers, came the recipe for Nanna Babe’s Simplicity Chocolate Cake. One of the first things I noted as I read through Chamber’s recipe was the very small amount of butter – 3 tablespoons to be exact. But as I thought about it, I remembered many of my grandmother’s recipes also economized on the butter in this way. Either through availability or cost, I thought about how these people would make the most with what they had, never scrimping on the love used to make it. Since my husband adores a good chocolate cake, I made him Nanna Babe’s cake for Father’s Day! Frosted with Nanna Babe’s traditional icing, this cake was so lovely and chocolatey – the perfect cake to celebrate with!
Life can be busy – especially when you’re trying to make plans! This was the case when, along with the mother of one of my daughter’s friends, tried to choose a date for a tea party. The girls wanted to bring their dolls, get dressed up, and enjoy a “fancy tea” one afternoon. Once the date was made, I got about to planning what I would bake. I chose Deb Hardy’s recipe for Daphne’s Apple Cake, as well as Helen Anderson’s recipe for Granny’s Scones – what tea party could be complete without scones?? As my daughter and I set the table using cups and saucers from both my husband and my maternal grandmothers, it felt so exciting to be able to share such a lovely afternoon with friends. The other mum brought the most delicious cucumber sandwiches, and we all enjoyed a “fancy tea” together, creating a magical moment.
It’s been such a pleasure to bake recipes from Minichiello’s book – full of connections and community! She’s a natural storyteller, and her passion for creating moments is evident throughout Recipes in the Mail. I love all the gorgeous photography from both Minichiello and Sally Frawley! With many more recipes bookmarked, I’m happy to add this treasured cookbook to my kitchen shelf.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Brolly Books for providing me with a free, review copy of this book. I did not receive monetary compensation for my post, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Any links provided are intended purely for informational purposes.
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